


Sanctuary

by UnbrokenSage



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:28:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24503887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnbrokenSage/pseuds/UnbrokenSage
Summary: A retelling of The Legend of Korra, starting from the end of Book 1, going to Book 4. This story follows a similar timeline of events, but told in a drastically different way. Lots of in depth interactions between characters, better and more diverse storytelling and, of course, a much more logical timeline of relationship development between characters. Plenty of romance for all you ship builders out there, never fear.TLDR; Hopefully the writing will speak for its self. I've been working on this for a long time and any feedback would be appreciated.
Relationships: Baatar Jr./Kuvira (Avatar), Baatar Sr./Suyin Beifong, Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato, Lin Beifong/Kya II, Mako/Prince Wu (Avatar), Pema/Tenzin (Avatar)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 109





	1. Chapter 1: The Greatest Change

Chapter 1: The Greatest Change

Korra felt the rush of air brush across her arms as, with one final heave, Amon was sent crashing through the stained glass of the third story window. Time seemed to slow as she watched him fall, shards of broken glass twinkling in the sunlight, a sharp ringing in her ears blocking out all other sound. It was as if reality itself had frozen in place, allowing her to see clearer than she ever had before. And in a single moment, it was over.

It only took a few second for the Equalist to hit the water, landing with a resounding splash, sending a ring of water flying up into the air around him. Outside, an assembled crowd turned in surprise at the commotion, and ran to the edge of the water to see what had happened. Instantly, their surprise turned to anger as they turned to shout at the Avatar, hurling insults as they shook their fists, slowly drawing closer to the building.

Below the water, Amon sank several feet before coming to, having been briefly knocked unconscious. As he came to, a surge of panic set in as his lungs cried out for air, and he frantically reached out his hands, urging to water to swirl beneath him and lift him up.

For a moment there was no movement, just the sound of the agitated onlookers and a city in chaos providing a startling background to the whole scene. Then, suddenly, an explosion blasted out from the surface of the water, quickly turned into a raging vortex of water that towered above the assembled crowd. Atop it, stood a now maskless Amon, his face a feral visage of unfettered anger. His hand went to his face to find that the makeup of his scar was gone.

The Avatar simply stared, unsure of what to do next. Her fists were clenched at her sides, her breathing heavy, the adrenalin rushing through her body at war with her fear of the Bloodbender. Mako, however, showed no hesitation, and unleashed a barrage of empowered strikes, sending half a dozen fireballs hurtling towards the floating figure.

Moving quickly, Amon dodged the attacks, using the riptide beneath him to speed up his movement and turned to flee, looking out over the bay towards the open ocean. Dropping underneath the surface of the ocean, he thrust his arms out behind him and poured on the speed, trying to put as much distance between him and his pursuers as possible.

Korra shook her head and pushed her fears to back of her mind as she took a calming breath. She stepped forward, unsteady at first, but with growing strength, and allowed herself to lean out over the massive hole in the glass. Focusing her energy, she placed her hands out towards her side, palms flat, and pulled at the air around her, stetting it to blow beneath her. In a matter of seconds, she was hovering above the ground.

Then, with a moment of pause, she allowed herself to float over the edge of the building, suspended over a dozen feet above the people below. It was an odd sensation to be floating in open space with nothing to tether her to the ground. Turning to look back over her shoulder, she gave Mako a ghost of a smile.

“At least I can still Airbend,” she said.

He tried to return the smile, though it was forced, but his focus turned to the fleeing figure behind her, rapidly growing smaller by the second. “Korra, we’ll talk later!” he shouted, his voice urgent, “We need get Amon, we can’t let him get away!”

She dropped the smile and look turned hard as she nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m on it. He’s not getting away this time!”

Whirling around and, with a small degree of difficulty, she managed to angle herself in the right direction. Her jaw set in determination, she willed the air around the to move faster and set of after the escaping man, quickly leaving the Firebender behind her.

Though the entire exchange had taken only a few short seconds, it was all Amon had needed to put a considerable distance between himself and the Avatar. Yet despite his head start, Korra rapidly began to make up ground as she chased him along the coast of the city. Growling, he willed himself to go faster, the water rushing past his ears as his eyes narrowed, struggling to see.

Still, as fast as he was, the young woman was not to be outdone. In no time at all she was nearly on top of him, twisting and turning along with him as he tried desperately to throw her off, moving through complex maneuvers and movements that would have caused any ordinary bender to slow, or even fall. Yet she stayed with him, following with more grace and poise than any novice Airbender had any right to possess.

Snarling, Amon suddenly shot up out of the water, darting to his left and then immediately juking back to his right, turning toward the docks, crowded with ships. Unfazed, and thoroughly unwilling to allow him to escape, she dived head on after him, pouring more of her focus in to the bending to close the distance.

Gliding just inches above the surface of the water, the furious Bloodbender pointed his chin up and began to climb higher and higher into the air, the watery tornado beneath him widening to support him as he towered over the ships below. His hands turned to claws as he raised them heavenward, drawing up two massive walls of water, and set them rushing towards Korra.

The young Avatar rose up to meet him, reaching out with her own hands to slice through the oncoming waves, parting them around her as she drew level with him. The Equalist wasted no time in following up the attack with a hail of razor-sharp icicles, his fists a blur of motion as he threw a dozen or so strikes. Acting quickly, Korra gathered up the air around her and, with one long swipe of her hands, knocked them aside.

Rather than wait to see what else he was willing to try, the Avatar went on the offensive, diving towards the root of the water tower that he stood upon. She placed her hands flat on its swirling surface, and with a mighty heave, pushed forwards on it, disrupting its flow. While it wasn’t enough to disrupt its entirety, it proved enough to startle the Amon, who immediately lost his balance.

Snarling with a curse, he fell a dozen or so feet as the choppy surface of the water rose to greet him. Thrusting out his hands, he felt for the amorphous element and clenched his hands into fists, drawing out the heat and turning it into a massive sheet of ice. Landing with a sickening crunch, he rolled onto his feet and whirled around just in time to see Korra step gracefully onto the slippery terrain.

For a long moment, the two simply faced off against each other, breathing heavily as they each waited for the other to make the first move. Amon let his hands rest at his sides as he mentally calculated his odds of subduing the young woman before she could reach him. She had already proved that she could fight the effects of his Bloodbending. He would have to use a more lethal method if he wanted to win this time around.

Seeing that Korra was still unwilling to make a move, Amon exhaled sharply and began to circle to his right.

“All these careful years of planning, all the preparation and waiting, all undone by a young, idiotic girl. I should have ended you back when you challenged me on the island,” he growled. Korra smirked in response.

“Maybe you should have. But you didn’t. And now I’m gong to make you pay, **Noatak,** ” she said, putting particular emphasis on his real name. “All the benders that you hurt, the lives that you ruined. You’ll answer for all of it.”

He let out a harsh laugh at that and shook his head, a sneer breaking out across his face. “Nonsense. Once I dispose of you, I’ll make my retreat and then return stronger than ever. And when I do, there will be no bender that will be able to stop me.”

Korra sighed, and gestured towards the city. “You can’t create a better world by destroying it. You can’t make things equal by taking away a part of a person.”

“And what does a mere girl know of such things? Nothing. You know nothing.”

His head drooped as he raised his hands and created a giant sphere of water, holding it suspended in midair. “But it matters little,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, “None of you could possibly understand my vision. I **must** succeed. I **will** succeed.”

Korra closed her eyes and slowly exhaled, centering herself as she reached within herself to tap into that ever present well of energy. As her mind and body settled, she breathed in and opened her eyes to lock in with his, as if she were trying to stare into his soul.

“No. You wont.”

Clearly finished with the conversation, Amon slammed his foot into the ground and thrust his hands out flat, sending icy tendrils of water shooting towards her as he quickly raised several large walls of ice and sent them whirling chaotically towards the oncoming Avatar.

Korra dashed forwards, her back straight, knees bent, her hands flat in front of her chest as she nimbly moved through the deadly frozen obstacles. In her mind, she was not on a small patch of ice, battling with her most feared opponent. Rather, she was at Air Temple Island, moving fluidly through the Airbending gates as they spun wildly.

She moved from one point to the next, her feet in constant motion as she flowed through the path of least resistance. Somewhere, in a distant part of her mind, she could even hear Tenzin telling her to be like a leaf in the wind.

Redoubling his efforts, the Equalist leader raised his fists to the sky, bringing sharp, conical pillars of ice stabbing through the frozen ground. But to no effect. Korra dodged them as easily as she had any of his other attacks.

Growling in frustration, he broke several large chunks off of the nearest walls and, with sharp, slicing motions, sent dozens of ice shards shooting towards the rapidly approaching Avatar.

Her memory of the island began to fade and suddenly, she was in the bending arena, surrounded in darkness. Three faceless figures stood in front of her, attacking with all of their strength. She moved smoothly and swiftly from one side of the ring to the other, flipping and spinning as she ducked, dived and dodged her way through their attacks.

For several moments, Korra danced a dance upon the edge of death as the seemingly endless projectiles rained down upon her. She briefly wondered if her attackers would ever grow tired or let up, when the stream of attacks seemed to flag.

It was all she needed. Striking quickly, she blasted once opponent full on in the chest, knocking them off the backside of the ring. A second figure rushed in to take advantage of the perceived lapse, and soon followed the first. The third opponent she picked up with a cushion of air and threw off the side of the ring.

Then, suddenly, the darkness lifted and, as if on que, revealed a hooded and masked figure that she instantly recognized as Amon. Rushing forwards, she lunged and reached out with a hand to grab at his face…

Only to come to a shuddering halt as the memory came crashing down around her and she was slammed back into reality.

Her body contorted, ricked with incredible pain as she felt her limbs begin to twist, her muscles betraying her, the very blood within her body being used against her. She managed to look up with her eyes only to see the furious form of an exhausted Amon leaning over her, his breathing heavy as he struggled to hold onto the bending.

“Enough…of this,” he panted. “I’m ENDING THIS! ONCE AND FOR ALL!” With enraged yell, he pulled his arms apart, and suddenly the pain that Korra had felt before shrank into utter insignificance in comparison to what took its place. It felt as though every fiber of her being were being pulled apart. Her breath hitched, caught in a tortured cry as the mind-numbing agony spread throughout her entire body.

Her vision faded in and out, blood rushing to her ears as she struggled, for some unknown reason, to hold onto consciousness. Part of her cried out to try and move, fight, do anything to get free and stop the monster that was doing this to her. Another part wanted desperately to allow the crazed man to simply finish what he had started, so that the pain might be ended sooner. So that the suffering would no longer continue.

She could no longer breath, her lungs burning for air as her body was forcefully misshapen. She could feel every bone and tendon in her body being crushed all at once. A loud and steady ringing blotted out every other sound, and her eyes bled and stung as her foe squeezed harder.

_“Please_ , she thought to herself, “ _let it end. I can’t take it anymore. I don’t want to hurt anymore.”_

She choked and closed her eyes as memories began to flood in. The moment that she discovered she was the Avatar. Bending practice with Katara. Her first day in the city. The tournament. Her kiss with Mako. Her parents saying goodbye. Her heart saddend as she suddenly remembered it all.

_“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t strong enough. I failed you. I failed you all.”_ She thought, hoping, praying that they would find a way to forgive her.

Fighting for one final breath, Korra shuddered as the all-encompassing blackness deepened and her senses dulled. Resigned to her fate, she waited for the pain to end, and for death to embrace her.

Then, just as it seemed as though it would all finally be over, a shadowy figure moved into the corner of her vison.

“ _No, please, whatever it is, please just leave me alone. I c..,I can’t_ ”

The figure moved closer with a huff of amusement and replied, “ _But you called me here.”_

She gasped in her mind as the shadowy figure stepped out into open space. He was tall and bald headed, dressed in robes similar to ones that Tenzin wore, and had blue arrow tattoos that ran down the length of his arms and atop his head. He stepped forward and reached out, as if to embrace her.

“ _Aang,”_ she murmured, hardly able to believe what she was seeing. Why was he here? Why now? After everything that had happened, why was he coming to her now.

“ _You have finally connected with your spiritual self,”_ he said, his voice calm and warming, answering the questions that he knew what she had been thinking.

“ _H…how?”_ she asked, bewildered and confused.

“ _When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change,”_ he replied simply. Suddenly, row after seemingly endless row of figures appeared behind him. Comprehension dawned on her face as she realized that they were all her past lives.

Aang stepped forward and reached out, placing his hands on her forehead and atop her shoulder. Breathing deeply, he tapped into their shared connection and allowed the energy to flow freely between them. Korra smiled, tears beginning for form as she felt herself connect to all of her past lives, their acceptance a welcome feeling after all she had been through.

Suddenly, a powerful sense of calm and tranquility blossomed from within her chest, and the unending pain that had seized her body ceased to exist. She felt a surge of power greater than any she had ever felt before, course through her body, taking away her weariness and restoring her strength.

Her eyes snapped open, glowing with glaring white light as she leapt from her knees and took a full breath, her grateful lungs filling with air. Her hand shot forwards and latched onto a surprised Amon with a vice-like grip, her other hand clenched around his throat.

With a strangled cry, he tried to wrench himself free of the fully awakened Avatar, kicking at her legs as he desperately fought to escape. But to no avail. With a quick and violent twist of her hips, Korra picked him up, as though we weighed nothing at all, and unceremoniously slammed him down onto the ground.

He cried out in pain as his breath exploded from his lungs, driven out by the impact. The ice split and cracked beneath his back, his head spinning as he tried to regain his bearings. Korra wasted no time in taking advantage of the opening, and quickly delivered a thundering kick to the side of the Equalists body that sent him skittering of over the edge of the icy platform.

Leaping into the air, Korra willed the heat around her into a roaring flame that she used to hold herself up as she spun her hands above her head, willing the water to swirl and churn. Then, wrenching her arms up, she lifted a massive orb of water up above the crashing sea and spun, throwing it towards the shore.

The water splashed down onto the concrete bulwark of the docks, brining with it a gasping, waterlogged Amon. The momentum set him rolling until he finally came to rest against the rough brick of a nearby storage building.

Placing his hands beneath him, he attempted to rise as he looked up just in time to see the Avatar slam down right in front of him, the impact knocking him back down onto his stomach. Reaching out to feel the earth beneath her, Korra clenched her hands and encased his legs in rock.

Not willing to go without a fight, Amon swung his arms forward in a desperate final bid to try and gain control of the Avatar. But it was no use, she was already prepared. Korra punched her hands out straight and let loose a blast of air that threw the offending limbs back out away from his body, buying her enough time to also encase them in stone and pull them behind his back.

Leaving nothing to chance, she slid forward and placed her hands upon his head and chest, reaching out to grasp at the energy within. She saw his eyes widen in fear and recognition, but oddly, he did not struggle, and seemed to resign himself to his fate, to tired and injured to fight back anymore.

Korra paused, suddenly at war with herself. Was it right to take his bending away? Was it her place to take from him something that was a part of who he was? Had she not felt as though her soul had been ripped from her when Amon had done it to her? Would she really be any better than him?

She felt a calming presence touch her shoulder as Aang’s voice echoed in her head. “ _This isn’t a choice that we can make for you Korra. Only you can choose._

_“But I don’t know if I can do it,”_ she whispered back, “ _taking his bending, I would become just like him. I’ve felt what it’s like. How did you justify it with Yakone? With Ozai?”_

_“I looked within them and knew that they would never stop hurting people. They had been given chances to change, but they chose no to. I knew that they would stop at nothing to achieve something that I knew was evil. They were men with beyond extraordinary power that only wanted to use it to hurt and destroy. It isn’t something that I ever wanted to do, but I knew that in those cases, it was the only option that I had._

She heard him sigh in sympathy and felt his hand withdraw. “ _I can’t give you the answers. Much of what you find, you will have to find for yourself. But I can tell you this. You have to decide what you believe in your heart to be right, and do your best to follow it. Trust your instincts. The rest will work itself out.”_ With that, he disappeared completely, leaving Korra alone with her thoughts.

The young Avatar felt a myriad of emotions rush through her mind all at once. Uncertainty that she could make the right decision ruled over her thoughts as she searched for the answer. If she took his bending, then she might truly become as bad as him. She would be inflicting the worst possible punishment on him, worse even, than a death sentence. And many would call her a monster, a hypocrite for doing to him what he had done to others.

But, deep down, she knew that if she allowed him to keep his bending, he would never stop hunting her. That he would never stop trying to hurt all the benders of the world in the pursuit of his abhorrent sense of equality, no matter what the cost. That people like Mako, and Bolin, and Tenzin and his kids, would never be safe.

The turmoil within her grew as she played the outcomes of both decisions in her head. What it would mean if she chose to take his power, or leave him with it. In the back of her mind, she knew that she had to make a decision quickly, or risk Amon getting free, but she was no closer to the answer then when she had started.

Then, as if a lightbulb had gone off in her head, it clicked. The realization of what she had to do came rushing to her.

She was the Avatar. She possessed power far beyond what any single bender could ever hope to achieve. She had the ability to see within a person and understand them better than anyone else could ever hope to. And if she could connect with thousands of her past lives, then perhaps she could connect with the one beneath her hands.

Opening her spiritual connection, she reached out with her chi to touch his own, delving deep within his mind and body as she allowed his thoughts and emotions to flood within her. She grimaced as she felt his pain and anger, his frustration at having been stopped. But she did not allow it to overwhelm her, and pushed forward, going deeper within. Somehow, she knew that this part of him was not the real Amon. Not the real Noatak.

Bits and pieces of his memories flashed as she descended, a few of which she recognized from Tarrlok’s story, others she did not. Some were mundane, while others were obviously more private. She felt his discomfort at her seeing them, and felt a pull at her psyche, willing her to move on.

Slowly but surely, she began to pull back the many layers that made up his spiritual being. There was so much distrust, so much fear, so much hurt that it was almost impossible to figure out where it started and ended. Yet the more she pushed, the more she felt like she was getting closer to the real him.

Soon, the memories faded and she came to an empty space, devoid of any sound or feeling. For a moment, she was confused, unsure of what to do or where to go. She looked around, but could see nothing that provided any detail. It was almost as if it were a prsion. Until it dawned on her. This was it. This was what Amon truly was. Dark, and empty, and without true form or purpose. While Noatak, the real him, was stuck in this prison that he had been forced into just to survive.

She felt out questioningly, as if to ask him if this was really it. Grudgingly, she felt a sort of affirmation. Then, she heard his voice.

_“I’ve spent so long hating my power. All it ever did was bring me pain. It only brought our family pain. I spent those early years wishing that I had never become a bender. Then maybe we might have been happy. But instead, we were given only suffering. Over time, I started convincing myself that everything I was doing, I was doing to survive.”_

She felt his emotions roil and transform as he remembered everything that Yakone had done to them. Her heart felt for him, wishing, like him, that anyone had done anything to help them.

_“I began to believe that if I could rid the world of bending, rid the world of this curse, that no one else would have to go through what I did. That all the suffering and hatred born of it would finally go away. I thought what I wanted was to save people from my fate. But…”_ he trailed.

“ _What you really wanted was for someone to take it away from you, so that you wouldn’t end up like your father. Because you didn’t want to suffer anymore. You didn’t want to have to carry the burden.”_ She finished for him. There was a reluctant agreement.

She pondered the new information for a moment, unsure of what to do now that she knew. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that someone would ever want their bending taken away from them. But, knowing what she did about Amon and his brother, it made sense.

Sensing her hesitation, his voice rose up once again. “ _Avatar, only you can choose what happens now. There’s no way for me to get away, and there’s no way for me to stop you. But, if makes any difference, I’d say that is probably better for you to take my bending.”_

Surprised, she felt out questioningly and to her further surprise, felt his understanding and sympathy. “ _From a logical standpoint, letting a Bloodbender that can bend even without the full moon exist as a criminal outside the law is dangerous, if not irresponsible. Just like with my father, it would be your duty to protect people from that.”_

“ _And from the other standpoint…?”_ she asked tentatively.

“ _From a personal standpoint…I want this. Maybe this way, I can finally start to live a normal life, and get out from the shadow of my father. Be something other than a tool for his revenge. Maybe go back to being Noatak, instead of having to be Amon.”_

Awestruck, Korra simply sat in silence as she contemplated his words. Everything he had said had made sense, and she could feel no attempt to be deceptive. Not that he could, as deeply as she had delved within him. In fact, looking back, she could not remember a time when he had lied to her, even when he had been trying to kill her.

Feeling a bit more resolved, she reached out one final time, to make sure that she wasn’t making a huge mistake. “ _You know that if I do this, I won’t be able to undo it right?. And that regardless of what happens here, you’ll sill have to answer for what you did_.”

She felt his understanding as he replied, “ _I know. I assumed as much. But, I don’t want this burden anymore. Even if that means I…I have to spend the rest of my life locked up.”_

She could tell that his words were genuine and that, no matter what she chose, he would accept. Realizing that the only thing left to do was act, she allowed herself to come to peace with what she was about to do, and receded from his mind. As she neared the surface of his psyche, she heard him speak faintly one last time and paused.

“ _I know that I’m in no position to make demands, but if you’ll let me, I’d like to ask for one thing.”_

Now suspicious and more than a bit reluctant, she allowed him to continue, ready to take control should he try anything.

_“I know that it must seem crazy to you, but the Equalist movement was genuine. It’s the only thing that I ever really got right. Its full of people who are tired of being on the end of systemic bender abuse, with no way to seek justice. Please, non-benders need an Avatar too. They need someone, someway, to protect themselves. Something has to change.”_

Korra was once again sent reeling by his words, the request beyond unexpected and she started to ponder for a moment, thinking back to everything she had seen. She remembered the shop owner that had been attacked by the triads, and how helpless he had been, the police nowhere in sight. The illegal arrests of the innocent citizens by Tarrlok, simply for protesting for their rights. And not to mention all the marginalization of non-benders that she had seen, even in her short time in Republic City. Come to think of it, there wasn’t even a non-bender representative on the council.

“ _I think you may have a point. And your right, non-benders need an Avatar too. I’ll do everything I can to help them and try and fix this mess. Does that sound agreeable?”_

_“It’s all that I ask,”_ he replied.

Giving him a mental nod, she withdrew from his mind completely and focused back in on the energy within herself. Now would come the hard part. While she had no conscious idea of how to remove someone’s bending, it seemed that some part of her knew what to do, and she quickly found herself tracing his body for his chi points.

Reaching out, she pulled at his chi through the connection point on his head and chest, tracing through the pathways that allowed his energy to flow. Once she reached one, she slowly, methodically pulled it closed, sealing it away permanently with her own energy before erasing it completely, making it as though it were never there.

As each point closed, she could feel his power draining, as though parts of him were being snipped away. It gave her a sickening feeling, but for the life of her, she could not figure out what it meant. Then, as she neared the last of the points, it struck her like a runaway Satomobile.

That was why Aang never used the ability except on two occasions. As the Avatar, taking away someone’s bending meant that she had to be connected to them. Which meant that whatever they felt, she also felt.

The realization was almost enough to force her to stop. But she remembered why she was doing it, and reminded herself that Amon had agreed that this was the best course of action. Then, as if he could feel the turmoil rising within her, Amon allowed his feelings of acceptance and understanding flow through the bond, soothing her. It was enough to allow Korra to continue.

_If it has to be done, better to get it over with than to prolong his suffering,_ she thought to herself.

Determined to see it through, Korra redoubled her efforts and quickly closed off the remaining points before withdrawing her energy completely. As she did, she felt the last vestiges of his power trickle away into nothing before feeling his realization that his bending was well and truly gone.

Gasping, her eyes opened and she suddenly came to, the glow in her eyes fading away as she suddenly felt very tired. Crumbling to her hands and knees, she began to breath heavily as she stared down at the ground, head throbbing, ears ringing, her arms shaky. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that going into the Avatar state would be this taxing. It was all she could do to stay awake.

Raising her head, she saw that there was a loosely assembled crowed starting to draw closer, shouts of something unintelligible growing louder and louder. Cursing to herself, she tried to stand but found her limbs unwilling to cooperate.

_Great. I survive an all-out battle with one of the most dangerous benders in history, only to get killed by an angry mob. Way to go Korra_

Suddenly, there was a hand underneath her arm as someone pulled her up onto her feet. Wearily, she turned her head, only to be greeted by the frowning face of Mako. She could see his lips moving but for the life of her should couldn’t figure out what he was saying. Shaking her head, she looked up and saw the metallic uniforms of the city police pushing the crowd back as they raised barriers.

Slowly, the ringing in her ears started to die down and she began to hear for the first time in what felt like forever.

“W…what?” she mumbled

“Okay, so that’s a no that’s what that is,” Mako stated as he started to half walk half pull Korra away from the onlooking crowd. “I asked you if you were okay, but it pretty obvious that you’re not.”

“Mmmfine, I’m okay…” she said quietly as she tried to get her feet underneath her. “W…what about Noatak...” she trailed as she looked over her shoulder at him.

“Don’t worry about him. Chief Beifong and her guys will take care of him. Though it looks like they won’t have much to do. D…did you…” he said, leaving the question unspoken.

Korra nodded and answered it anyways. “Yes. I took his bending. Just like Aang did to Yakone.”

Mako tilted his chin up in understanding. “Probably for the best. Come on, lets sit you down somewhere. You look like you’re gonna pass out.”

Some part of her, deep inside, wanted to protest and say that she was fine. But for some reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Sitting down had never sounded like a better idea.


	2. Chapter 2: Restoration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra beings the long process of dealing with the aftermath of her battle with Amon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of the people who have left Kudos. It means a lot to know that people are taking an interest in this story. Please feel free to leave comments below. Any feedback is very much appreciated. Cheers.

Chapter 2: Restoration

As short a walk as it was, Korra could not for the life of her remember exactly how she had made it over to the large stack of wooden crates that she was currently leaning against. Mako had left her there alone for a brief moment; just long enough to grab a nearby officer to send for a medic. Less than a minute later, two metal clad policemen with blue strips stretching across the chests of their armor jogged over and knelt down, immediately checking her over for injuries.

As they tended to her, they asked her a slew of rapid-fire questions that she barely heard, and chose to stick to short answers; she was simply to tired to try and give further explanation. All the while, she looked past them to stare at the prone, unconscious form of Amon. He hadn’t moved since she had finished with him.

Surrounding him was a small ring of larger police officers that had since bound his arm and legs with pairs of thick metal cuffs. As an extra precaution, they had placed a thick black hood over his head, presumably to prevent him from being able to bloodbend through sight, though they had no way to know just how harmless he truly was now.

Out of the corner of her eye, Korra saw a flash of yellow and orange and turned to see a disheveled Tenzin, accompanied by Chief Beifong, Asami and a concerned Bolin all walking towards her. She gave a smile and short wave as the medics started placing bandages across the many scratches and scrapes that covered her upper body.

“Hey guys. Don’t worry, I’m alright,” she assured, “It looks a lot worse than it really is. Believe me, you should see the other guy.”

Bolin ran over and slid down onto his knees and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, nearly bowling over one of the medics. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he bawled, “I was so scared when you just dropped down into the middle of all those Equalists. You saved me…again.”

She chuckled at him and reached up to ruffle his hair. “Of course I did you big lug. I’m just glad that I got there in time. When I saw all of you lined up, I was scared that he had already taken your bending.” She shuddered as she remembered seeing the terrified looks on all of the Airbender kids.

Korra looked up to see Tenzin step forward in front of her and, closing his eyes, placed his fist into his hand and bowed deeply. Korra recoiled in confusion, her mouth gaping. “Tenzin what are you…”

“Avatar Korra, you saved the lives of my children as well as my own. You rescued them from the hands of a madman that would have taken their gift of bending, and because of that, you have helped save what little remains of the Air Nation. Words alone cannot express my gratitude, and I will forever be in your debt.”

The young woman was left speechless and stunned as she reeled under the sudden surge of emotions. She had never seen this side of the airbending master and it left her feeling strange.

“Tenzin, you don’t owe me anything. I…you…I’m just glad you’re all safe.”

The older man straightened and breathed deeply, a smile lighting up his face. “All the same Korra, you’ve done a great service not only for my family, but for my nation and for this city. I could not be prouder to be your teacher.”

She smiled back and reached out to draw him into a hug. He obliged her and knelt down, wrapping her arms around her, reveling in the moment.

“Alright alright, enough of the sappy met and greet, we’ve got bigger things to discuss,” said the growling voice of the police chief. Both of them turned to see her scowling form, arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently. “You gonna be okay kid?”

Korra scoffed playfully. “Well, glad to see you too Lin. Yeah, I’m okay, thanks for asking.”

“Good,” she snapped, “then get up. We’ve got work to do and I don’t have the bending to do it all by myself.” She turned her back to them and started to walk over to where Amon was still laying.

The young avatar winced at that, but suddenly gasped as the realization came flooding back to her. With Bolin’s help, she slowly pushed herself onto her feet, much to the consternation of the medics, and tried to walk after her. “Wait, I think I can fix that. I think I can give you back your bending,” she shouted.

Lin froze, coming to an abrupt stop, hardly daring to believe her hears. “Y…you what?”

Suddenly everyone was standing very close to her, looking as if they weren’t quite sure what they had heard her correctly.

“Korra, hold on a sec. You can do what now?” asked Bolin

Korra limped over, pushing past the group, obviously tired but unwilling to wait a moment more. “I made contact with my past lives while I was in the Avatar state. Aang helped me get my bending back, and I think that I can do the same for anyone else who lost their bending,” she explained.

The older earthbender slowly turned, hardly daring to believe what she had heard. Her breath was hitched and the look that she gave Korra was almost enough to break her heart. It was the look of someone who was hoping beyond all reason that the impossible might just be possible, but was terrified that it might not be.

“Korra…please. Don’t start making jokes. It’s…not possible. What he did,” she stopped, biting her bottom lip, unwilling to finish the thought.

“Lin, its not a joke. I promise. I don’t exactly know how this thing works; I sort of have to just feel it out. But I think it’s worth a shot. Will you at least let me try?”

With a short huff, Lin turned around to face Korra and stepped closer. As much as she didn’t want to get her hopes up, the girl had a point. And besides, what did she have to lose?

“Alright, you can try,” she said softly, “but don’t be mad when I say I told you so when this doesn’t work.”

Korra chuckled softly as raised her hands to the chief’s head and chest. “Too bad you won’t get to say it.” Her face fell into a frown as she realized that she didn’t know what was going to happen. She hadn’t been the one in control when her bending had been restored.

“Lin, I don’t know what’s going to happen when I do this. It might be really painful, or you might feel nothing at all. I can’t say for certain how it will go.”

The older woman nodded, “Don’t worry about me kid, I can take anything you throw at me. I can’t possibly hurt worse than when I lost my bending.”

“Hey, hold on a sec,” Mako interjected, “Korra, are you sure that you can do this? I don’t want to sound negative or anything, but restoring someone’s bending… that would be a huge feat, even for you. How do you know it won’t go wrong?”

She paused for a moment, contemplating, then looked him in the eyes and replied, “I don’t. Nothing is for sure. All I know is that I have to try. I know I can do it. Just…don’t ask me how.” She turned back to Lin and asked the silent question. The police chief simply dipped her head, and then close her eyes.

Steeling herself, Korra took a deep breath as she reached within for that wispy tendril of spirit energy that flowed between her and her past lives. Opening herself up to the enormous power within, she suddenly felt reinvigorated, the pain of her injuries fading and her fatigue disappearing altogether.

Outside, her eyes glowed bright white as her spirit energy reached out and enveloped the woman standing in front of her. Lin’s breathing had slowed as she felt a foreign consciousness sweep across her own, probing, questioning, searching. Her first instinct was to tense up and fight it, but she felt the presence trying to reassure her, letting her feel its intent. She then realized that what she was feeling was the young Avatars power, and slowly allowed herself to relax and be pulled into the immense flow of spiritual energy what was inviting her in.

Korra’s spirit coursed through Lin’s body, rushing straight to the damaged chi points and healing them. Though she was not solely in control of her shared consciousness, she was able to guide the process even as she learned how it worked. The bloodbender, while still powerful, had not possessed the power that it took to completely close the chi points, like she had. Instead, it appeared that he had opted to shred and collapse them, damaging beyond any ordinary healer’s ability to restore.

But she was no ordinary healer. She was the Avatar. And nothing was beyond her. If it could be destroyed, then it could be restored.

Bit by bit she repaired them, smoothing out the devastation within, and reinvigorating them with new life. Wherever she encountered damage or blockages, she smoothed them out, allowing the earthbenders energy to flow freely once again. Korra could feel the strain on her body, but she did not allow herself to contemplate stopping. She would see this through no matter what. Pouring herself into the task at hand, the Avatar worked with a feverish intent until, finally, the last of the chi points were fixed.

Lin suddenly let out a strangled cry as her connection to the earth element came crashing in all at once, her spirit ecstatic to embrace it like a long-lost friend. It was both agony and bliss, her insides felt as though they were on fire as her body tried to refamiliarize itself with the power that had been ripped from her. And yet her mind cried out for it to never end as the comforting feeling of the earth washed over her. Then, as soon as it had begun, it stopped.

Korra slowly withdrew from the heightened state of power, allowing her spirit to withdraw from Lin, her task completed. With it came a new wave of exhaustion that threatened to send her to her knees. It felt as though she had been at it for hours, though she realized that it could not have been more than a few minutes.

Shaking, the earthbender took a few steps back and shifted into a wide stance, knees and elbow bent. Feeling with the souls of her feet, she pulled at the earth around her and six large chunks of stone suddenly floated into the air, hovering there for a moment before she dropped them. A laugh burst unbidden from her mouth and, try as she might, she could not contain the smile that spread across her face as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes.

Mako and Bolin wore expressions of shock and disbelief, while Tenzin looked as though he would explode from overwhelming pride in his student. Asami had a hand over her mouth, though it was clear that she was struggling not to cry.

Lin shot forward and reached out, bringing the young woman into a tight hug, her body shuddering as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her. She couldn’t bring herself to speak, but she knew that the gesture would say enough. Korra patted her back softly before pulling herself out of Lin’s embrace.

“See. I told you I could do it,” she smirked.

“KORRA HOLY SHIT THAT’S AMAZING!” shouted Bolin as he ran his hands down his face, stretching it comically.

Lin laughed out loud at that, her happiness and relief to great to prevent her from keeping up her usual scowl. “You got spunk kid. I’ll give you that. I feel…whole again. Like a part of me was missing and now its been returned. Thank you.”

“Of course. I’m glad I could help. Now I just need to try and do that to all the other people who lost their bending.”

The police chief gave her a knowing nod as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’ll task my people with finding them. Most will still be scared or in hiding, but we’ll find a way to help them. For now though, you should probably rest. I can only imagine how much energy that takes.”

Korra tilted her head to the side and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure how many times I’ll be able to do it at once either. Its mostly about going in and undoing all the damage that’s been done. It’ll probably be easier once I have time to prepare for it.”

“Then we’ll wait until you’ve healed up before we start. No sense in trying to start now, you’ll only hurt yourself. And speaking of damage done…” she trailed off as she turned to look at Amon.

“What are you going to do with him?” Korra asked as she moved beside her. “I took his bending, so he’s no longer a threat.”

Lin grimaced and replied, “I don’t think its that simple. Even without his bending, he’ll still be a rallying cry to any remaining Equalists. I don’t know exactly what we’ll do with him, but he’ll stand trial for sure. Most likely he’ll go to prison for the rest of his life.”

Korra nodded her understanding, but frowned as she started to remember the conversation that she’d had with Amon…no Noatak, while she had been joined with him. Even as dangerous and manipulative as he was, he’d had a point. Things would need to change if they wanted things to get better. It couldn’t be allowed to go on as it had before.

“Do you trust the council to make the right choice?” she asked, trying to get a feel for where the police chief stood on the issue. Lin pursed her lips and rubbed the back of her neck as she thought for a moment. It was clear from her expression that she had her reservations.

“Honestly, I don’t know. With everything that’s happened, especially with Tarlock, I’m not so sure that having a council is the best option. Why do you ask?”

Korra shrugged and briefly explained what she and the bloodbender had discussed, choosing not to go into too much detail about his personal life, though she felt obligated to divulge the relationship between the equalist and the councilman.

Lin inhaled sharply and clenched her fists. “I can’t believe that person we were after had such close ties to the council. No wonder we were never able to capture him. Tarlock must have been feeding him information the whole time.”

Korra shook her head, “I don’t think that’s what was happening. When Mako and I found him locked up on Air Temple Island, he told us that he only found out after Noatak took his bending. I think that Tarlock was genuinely trying to capture him.”

The chief snorted derisively, clearly skeptical of the assertion of ignorance. “I highly doubt it. I’ll take your word for it for the time being, but rest assured, I will be doing my own investigation.”

The Avatar snorted and smirked, shaking her head ruefully. “I’d expect nothing less.”

“Good,” Lin replied. “Alright, enough chit chat. I think we’ve stood here long enough. Time to get this guy out of here and locked away. I have a city to bring back under control and you, you look like you could use about a week’s rest.”

Korra opened her mouth to protest but stopped as Tenzin clapped a hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, as if in agreement, a fresh wave of exhaustion washed over her body, and her mind felt weary once again.

“I think that’s an excellent idea Lin,” said Tenzin. “Korra, lets get you back to the temple and let Chief Beifong and her men handle this for the time being. You could do with some food and some rest.”

She nodded, but turned to look back at the rest of her friends. “What about you guys? Do you all have a place to go?”

Mako rubbed his neck awkwardly while Bolin put his hands in his pockets and stood there silently. “Ah well, I’m sure we’ll find something. I mean, we can’t go back to the arena and Asami-“

“I dont want to go back to the mansion,” she said, her tone curt. “I just…after everything that’s happened. I don’t know if I can stand to be in there right now.”

Korra gave her and understanding look before turning back to Tenzin. “Well, there’s plenty of room on the island. I know it not exactly ideal, but you guys could still stay with us for the time being. What that be okay Tenzin?”

“Of course it would,” he replied. “All of you are more than welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

She smiled and looked back at the group. “So, what do you say? Wanna come stay with the worlds coolest Avatar and a bunch of crazy airbender kids.”

Mako and Bolin laughed, and Asami smiled despite herself. All three of them stepped forwards to place their arms around her shoulders. “Korra, you’re the only Avatar. It’s not exactly like we’re spoiled for choice,” Mako quipped.

Korra blew a raspberry at him and poked him in the ribs. “Whatever. You know you’d be sad without me.”

“Yeah, sure, we’ll go with that.”

“Alright alright. Come on, lets get out of here before I collapse. Tenzin, do you think you could call Oogi?” she asked. Yet, no sooner had the words left her mouth when a shadow crossed over them. Within seconds, the massive Sky Bison landed with a thud, groaning loudly.

“Well, that was convenient. Alright, everyone get on. Next stop, Air Temple Island.” A moment later, with a small degree of difficulty, they were all piled on. “Tenzin, aren’t you coming?”

He shook his head and replied, “I think its best that I stay and help Lin for the time being. You guys go on ahead. I’ll return to the island later tonight.” Korra nodded, reaching forward to grab the reins, flicking them lightly to coax the Bison into the air. Within minutes, they were flying out over the bay, the cityscape shrinking in the distance.

Korra breathed out a sigh of relief as the wind blew by her ears. Looking out towards the horizon, she silently contemplated everything that had happened and tried to imagine what would come next. She glanced over her shoulder at her friends and saw that they were all equally as tired as she was. Mako and Bolin had slumped over against eachother, while Asami leaned back against the saddle, her arms crossed as she gazed up at the sky.

Korra felt a pang of guilt as she remembered the brief exchange between the heiress and the firebender while they had been underground, just before they split up for the attack. It hurt to think that she was causing Asami pain by coming between her and Mako, and part of her desperately wished that things had not gotten so complicated. She had come to value their friendship over the last several months, and the thought of losing it suddenly seemed unbearable.

She sighed as she realized that, at some point, they would have to talk about it, though how that conversation would even start was beyond her. Shaking her head, she put it towards the back of her mind. Another problem to be worked out later. There was nothing that she could say or do that would fix it right now. Better to wait until they were rested to bring it up.


	3. Chapter 3: Prelude to the Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I've been away for a while, and ya wanna know why?  
> ....alright you got me I don't have a reason. I DONT HAVE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS! (jk I love you guys please dont stop reading)  
> ALSO, LEAVE COMMENTS! PLEASE! I NEED THEM!  
> Also also, i guess this is a big chapter? Not sure what counts as big.

Chapter 3: Prelude to the Aftermath

After what seemed like an eternity, Oogi finally landed in the central courtyard of the island that the air nomads had come to call home. Yet for all its peaceful origins, it was the scene of unmitigated destruction and chaos. Korra stepped down gingerly off of the sky bison as she took in her surroundings, her face split with a grimace as she took stock of the damage

Almost every building in sight had suffered from some sort of damage, everything from massive holes in the stone walls, to broken rooftops with jagged clay shingles. Even the shrubs and trees had not made it through unscathed, many of which had either been burned or uprooted. It seemed a far cry from the tranquil and calming place that it usually was.

The rest of the group, with some degree of difficulty, managed to slide down Oogi’s tail and follow Korra, their faces betraying their surprise as they looked upon the temples state. Mako could not help but rub the back of his neck as he mentally tried to guess just how long it would take to fix everything.

As they ascended the long staircase that lead into the impossibly tall tower, Pema appeared at the top of the steps, baby Rohan held closely to her chest. She gave them a small smile as they drew nearer.

“Hey everyone. I’m so glad to see that you guys are safe,” she said. “The kids and I have only just got back, if you gu-”

She was abruptly cut off by a sudden, cacophonous shout of “KORRA!” as all three of Pema’s other children came racing out of the doorway, leaping to tackle the young woman, enveloping her in tight hugs.

“We’re so glad you’re okay,” Ikki cried as she sniffled into Korra’s shirt.

“We saw you when you leapt down to stop Amon, but we lost you in the smoke afterwards,” Jinora said.

“But none of that matters,” Meelo interrupted as he yanked at Korra’s hand. “You’re here now, which means you must have beat him. Come on come on! Tell us! Did ya’ get him? Didja?”

She laughed at that and reached down to pat the top of his head as Ikki, if it were possible, tried to cling on tighter. “Yeah, I got him kiddo. It wasn’t easy, but I got him.”

Meelo looked up at her, his smile a mile wide as his eyes burned brightly. “Awesome. Well, come on then,” he said imperiously, “give us all the juicy details! How did you win? Did you use some kind of crazy air bending tornado? Or maybe you threw a building at him? How about-“

“Alright, I think that’s quite enough Meelo,” Pema interrupted, finally deciding to come to the Avatar’s rescue. “I think Korra and her friends have had quite a long day, and I’m sure they’d appreciate some quiet time now. Ikki, come on now.”

Korra waved her off and reached down to place her arm around the young girls’ shoulders, drawing her close. “She’s fine. I get it. It’s been a lot for all of us, and it looks like she needs this.”

“Alright, well, if you’re sure. Let’s head inside and I’ll see what I can scrounge up to eat. There’s probably not much, but it’ll be better than nothing. Then we can see about the sleeping arrangements.”

Some part of Korra instantly began to feel better as she watched Pema take control of the situation, leading them in toward the dining room. Nothing like an experienced mother to know exactly how to take care of everyone. To have someone take that burden away, even if only for a moment, was a relief that she hadn’t realized she’d needed.

Though the outside was a near smoldering wreck, the inside of the temple had fared much better. Pictures had been knocked from their places on the walls, and shards of pottery littered the hallways, but apart from that and the occasional hole in the wall or strewn personal belonging, everything was, for the most part, untouched.

As they entered the dining room, they all collapsed in a heap around the table, each suddenly finding themselves fighting the urge to fall asleep then and there. Mako and Bolin sat at the far end of the room, leaning back against the tatami walls, while Asami sat in between Meeko and Jinora, with Korra to the left of them, her arm still around Ikki.

The silence was pervasive as they waited patiently for Pema to come back with the food. Korra half hoped that there wouldn’t being anything, if only to be able to find somewhere and sleep sooner. She looked around and saw the same weariness in the faces of her friends. It seemed that they were all ready to drop.

After a few short moments, Pema returned with two large baskets, one filled with bowls and several loafs of bread, the other half filled with fruit. “Its not much, but its what we’ve got. The soups not hot, but I figured you guys would be too hungry to care either way.”

They all nodded their heads in agreement and murmured their thanks as they each grabbed a bowl and dug in with abandon. Though it took a moment, it wasn’t long before Korra began to realize that she was hungrier than she had originally thought and was soon locked in a life or death hand-battle with Bolin over the last remaining piece of bread. He fixed her with his trademark pout, his lower lip jutting out sadly. She chuckled at his antics and let it go, instead reaching over to grab some fruit.

For a while, they sat in silence, their only thoughts were that of filling their body with as much food as they could. Pema moved about the rooms as they ate, doing what she could to straighten everything up. After managing to clean up a few of the dorm rooms, she headed back into the dining room just as the Avatar and her friends finished eating.

“Alright, I’ve got the boys in one room and the girls in another. The kids and I will stay in our bedroom. There are blankets by the door of each room, though I don’t expect it to get very cold.”

Korra smiled at her as she rose gingerly, dusting breadcrumbs off the front of her blue tunic. “Thanks Pema. You’re a life saver. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

She laughed at that and patted the young woman on the arm. “I hardly call it life-saving, but I’ll take the compliment all the same. Thank you dear.” She looked around at the rest of the group and clapped her hands together. “Now, I think that’s enough chatter for the time being. You all look bone tired and I’m sure you all could do with a shower. Boy’s, you guys go shower first, since I know you’ll be quicker. Asami, Korra, you two can go after them. You all already know where the towels are, so I’ll let you handle it from there. Kids, I think it’s time for you guys to head off to bed now.”

Meelo, who sat cross legged next to Asami, let his had flop back dramatically. “We don’t need no sleep! We’re… _yawn_ …hardened warriors, we can… _yawn…_ last…for…”

Pema smirked and raised an eyebrow as she fixed him with a look. Huffing, the would be stalwart stumbled to his feet, his head hanging low as he moved past his mother towards the long hallway that let towards the back of the temple, where his parent’s room was. Jinora got up as well, collecting a reluctant Ikki from Korra’s side. She groaned in protest but, as tired as she was, gave no more than a token resistance at being led away. Korra squeezed her hand as she left, a silent promise that everything would be okay.

Moaning, Bolin stretched his arms above his head, his shoulders popping as he and Mako moved in the direction of the bath house. “I don’t know about everyone else, but it feels like a week since I’ve slept,” the firebender said. “I know there’s a lot to talk about, but honestly, I think it’ll keep till the morning.”

Korra watched as Asami shrugged in passive agreement; clearly there was a lot on her mind, but it seemed that she was either unable or unwilling to bring it up now. “That’s fine. I could honestly use a day…or ten of sleep myself.” She walked past the pair of brothers, clapping Bolin on the shoulder as she went. “Try not to take too long will ya? Some of us like having hot water and this place isn’t like the mansion.”

Bolin made a look of feigned offense and clasped his hands together over his chest. “My showers aren’t that long,” he said with exasperation, “I just take my personally hygiene very seriously.”

Asami rolled her eyes with a short smile. “Right. Well, whatever you call it, leave some hot water for the rest of us.”

Mako threw his arm around this brother and pulled him down into a well-meaning headlock. “Don’t worry. We’ll be in and out before you know it. Come on bro, lets not keep them waiting.” Without further preamble, they set off towards the bath house, leaving the two women alone for the first time.

* * *

It didn’t take very long for the pair of brothers to make their way to the bathhouse. Once there, they wasted little time in stripping down and getting in. It only took a few minutes for the stream of cold water to turn boiling hot, the way that both of them liked it, and once they stepped underneath it, appreciative sighs filled the air as they let the relaxing water wash over them.

Now that he was completely uncovered, Mako was able to better see the injuries he had sustained. All in all, they weren’t the worst, though they still hurt. Being thrown around by Amon had left his body bruised and achy. He could still feel the lingering affects from the bloodbending that had been done on him. It had been excruciatingly painful and unsettling, and he desired never to have to experience it again. But, despite everything, he wasn’t much worse for wear.

Bolin seemed to be much the same, if not in better shape. When he’d asked him about it, he gotten a longwinded and fantastical tale that had boiled down to, “we got electrocuted, captured, got free, shot down the planes and beat up Asami’s dad.”

Mako smiled at that, but it disappeared as his memories quickly reminded him of everything that had happened. Between Tarrloks gross overreach as a government official, his enablement of a man like Amon, and the betrayal that they had all experienced at the hands of Hiroshi, he was certain that massive change was going to be coming to the city. It was simply impossible that anyone was going to allow things to stay as they had been.

He thought about the bending arena, which had become his and Bolin’s home over the last couple of years. With repairs still incomplete, and with people still scared of what was happening in the city, it would be quite some time before the pro-bending circuit would be back up and running. Which meant…

_I’m going to have to find something else. There’s no way that Tenzin will let us stay here indefinitely. And Asami sure as hell won’t let us stay at the mansion._

He sighed as he grabbed a washcloth and some soap and set to scrubbing his back. While he was happy that Korra had confirmed her feelings for him, despite everything that had happened, a part of him still felt bad about the way he had handled everything. True, he’d been honest with Asami and said what thought would make his feelings clear, but he knew that she deserved better.

Still, at this point, there wasn’t much more to be said. And he highly doubted that, with everything going on, Asami would want to talk about a poorly handled ending to a relationship. She had more than enough on her plate as it was. Once again, it felt like they were on their own.

“I figure it out. I always do,” he murmured to himself.

“Whats the matter?” his brother asked as he turned, he head half covered in a mountain of bubbles, a long scrubbing brush in his hand.

Mako smiled and replied, “Nothing bro. Just thinking about what we’re gonna do now that the ring is closed down. Don’t know about you, but I don’t wanna spend forever on an island with a bunch of crazy airbending kids.”

Bolin guffawed loudly. “Ah come on! They’re not that bad. Besides, Korra is technically one of those ‘crazy airbending kids’.

The firebender gave him a look. “I think the Avatar, the master of all four elements, counts for more than that.” He set the washcloth off to the side and stepped back underneath the showerhead to rinse off. “Besides, that’s not the point. We’re gonna need to find something to get back on our feet with. I don’t like living off of the good graces of other people.”

The earthbender nodded his head lightly and placed his hand on his chin, as though he were thinking deeply. Mako glanced over at him and chuckled. “Hey now, don’t hurt yourself over there. Whatever big ideas you’ve got, share ‘em before you do anything crazy.”

Bolin narrowed his eyes at him and harrumphed. “Fine. Its not like I’d wanna tell you anyways. Besides, you probably wouldn’t be any good at it.” Mako made an ah face and smirked, more than willing to play the waiting game with his brother. It didn’t take long for Bolin cave in and let out an explosive, “Fine!” before turning back around.

“Relax Bo, I was joking. I’m sure whatever it is, it’ll be something interesting. So let’s hear it.”

Bolin brought his hand up excitedly, a smile back on his face. “Alright, okay, so get this. What if you…” he said, obviously pausing for dramatic effect.

Mako rolled his eyes, but decided that it wouldn’t hurt to play along. “If I…”

“Became…”

“Became?”

“Became a cop!” he said, throwing his hands out wide, his grin reaching from ear to ear.

“A… a cop?!” he sputtered as he looked at his brother incredulously. “Bo, I…I can’t be a cop! What? Where in spirits name did you-“

“Okay, so hear me out will ya?” he replied, his hands out placatingly. “I already know what your going to say. Bo, we were involved with the triads years ago, they wont take me. I wouldn’t be a good cop, there’s got to be something else, yadda yadda yadda.”

Mako shook his head in surprise, “How did you…?” he said, knowing that that was exactly what he was thinking.

“Well, you’re wrong…” the earthbender interrupted. “For starters, I saw how you were when we were trying to find Korra. You were like, some sort of super-investigative, clue-finding, Polar-Bear dog.”

“Okay, Bo, that’s a little bit of a-“ but his brother interrupted him again.

“Then there’s the part where you’re a really good fire bender. I’ve seen you in the ring and I know for a fact that you’re better than a least half the guys on the force.”

“Alright, so maybe I might be…you’re gonna talk over me again aren’t you?” he asked. He sighed and waved him on.

“You know me too well,” Bolin said, beaming. “And then there’s the most important part. You’re a good dude.”

Mako pulled his head back in confusion. “How do you mean?”

“Look,” he started. “If we’ve learned anything from these crazy last couple of weeks, it’s that there are a lot of not-so-good people running around doing things they aren’t supposed to. And I think that this is genuinely something that you’d be good at. You’re crazy smart, you’ve got mad firebending skills, and most importantly, you’d really be able to make a difference.”

Mako went silent as he started to think about it. The idea had merit, that much was clear. While he had no idea if he’d make a good cop or not, the pay was said to be decent and so were the benefits. And, it would be getting a regular paycheck and not having to rely off of sponsors or tournament winnings.

But what was the trade off? Long hours for sure. Lots of work as well. And being a cop was undoubtedly dangerous. Yet that part didn’t seem to bother him. If anything, it seemed exciting and made the idea even more appealing. He had never been one to shy away from things that were hard, and the adrenalin rush that came from fighting was something he had always loved. But the idea of being a cop also held more promise than just the chance of a fight. It offered the opportunity to use his mind for something bigger than just throwing fireballs at a competitor.

He scratched the top of his head as his brother washed off, clearly waiting for some sort of response. Unwilling to answer him just yet, he stalled for time and asked, “What about you Bo? What are you going to do?”

He just shrugged and replied, “I dunno. Honestly, I kind of really like pro-bending. It’s something I’m really good at and to me, it’s a lot of fun. But, for now, I can always go back to the earth moving business. And seeing as there’s a lot of rebuilding that’s gonna be going on, there will be plenty of work.”

Mako’s eyebrows raised at that as his lips pursed. It was actually a pretty good idea, especially coming from Bolin. “Okay. Well. Shit, fair enough, I guess. Glad that was easy for you.”

The earthbender smiled smugly and held out one hand. “Thank you, thank you. I have been told I’m a genius. Its true I’m afraid.”

“Oh please, your so full of it,” the firebender replied with an exasperated roll of his eyes.

“Ha, whatever,” Bolin snarked as he rinsed off and grabbed a nearby towel. “Anyways look. If nothing else, think about it, alright? It couldn’t hurt to at least try. Maybe you could try and go talk to the chief and see what she thinks.”

For a moment, Mako said nothing, standing silently in contemplation. Then, with a slight shrug of his shoulders, he nodded his head. His brother was right. It wouldn’t hurt to try. Worst case scenario, he’d be told no and then he’d be back to job hunting. Best case…well, he didn’t want to think that far ahead, lest he get his hopes up for nothing.

“Alright, I’ll give it a shot,” he said as he retrieved his own towel and dried off. “But don’t expect much. I hear the chief is crazy selective when it come to letting people on the force.”

* * *

Korra stood slowly and sighed deeply. Her mind once again troubled now that she had time to stop and think. This was the first time since Asami had first come to the island that they had been in a room together. There was a part of her that was being gnawed away at with anxiousness and uncertainty about the issue with Mako. She wanted to talk about it, even if it meant that the young heiress decided that she hated her for it; but she couldn’t bring herself to raise the issue.

“So…” she started lamely, “you wanna go pick the room before the guys get out? I figured we’d probably want to try and get the larger of the two.”

For a moment, Asami said nothing as she appeared to gaze of into the distance. She suddenly came to with a shake of her head, and turned, giving Korra a ghost of a smile. “Yeah, that sounds good,” she replied.

Without further preamble Korra led the way towards the back of the living area until they found two open doors, one of both sides of the hallway. Pointing towards the one on the right, they stepped inside to find a plain room with two beds, one on each side of the room. Both were covered with fresh sheets and a single white blanket. There were pillows placed at the head of each bed, but they had clearly seen better days; black and white ends of cat-owl feathers poking through the cotton fabric covering. A single, small wardrobe sat in the middle of the room, against the wall, just next to an open window.

“Well, this is it I guess,” Korra said as she flopped on top of the left bed, her arms falling down over the wooden frame. “I don’t imagine that you thought you’d be back here so soon?”

Asami sat down on the remaining bed and reached down to start unclasping her boots. “To be honest, I wasn’t really too sure where I was going to go.” She reached around and deposited her boots at the front of the bed as she pulled herself further up and leaned back against the wall. “I guess I could go back to the manor but…”

Korra grimaced sympathetically. “I get it. It reminds you too much of him?”

“Yeah,” Asami murmured quietly. “I know that its home, but with everything that’s happened, I’m not sure what to think of it anymore. I don’t even know if I’ll ever want to go back.”

Loosing her mom had been one of the hardest moments of her life. The pain that had accompanied that loss had been nearly unbearable. Over time, the loss had begun to become less persistent, less debilitating. But there were times when it would rear its ugly head. During good times, when she was having fun, or experiencing something for the first time. Or, more often, during bad times. Like the ones she was having now.

What would she have done, Asami wondered? What would she have thought about all of the crazy stuff between the benders and the non-benders? About Tarrlok and all of his corruption and mistreatment of people like her? Would she have stopped her father from becoming an equalist? Made her father see reason. Tell him that it was a crazy idea and that Amon, a hypocritical bloodbending monster, were insane? What would she think about her father being in jail because of it?

Her thoughts spiraled deeper as she found herself wishing that she could have someone, anyone to turn to. To reassure her, to comfort her. To give her advice and help her understand what she was feeling.

She knew that she was furious with her father, and disappointed that he had kept secrets from her, and that he had decided allying himself with people like Amon was the only way to get justice. But as mad as she was at him, she would have been lying if she said that she didn’t, at least in some basic way, understand why he had done it.

There was one thing that they had been right about. The inequality and mistreatment of non-benders was still a huge problem, and one that nobody seemed interested in addressing. She had seen it first hand when, instead of being held in check by the other members of the council, Tarrlok hand instead been emboldened and enabled by them, and had been allowed to impose his crazy ideals at will.

Memories from that night flashed in her mind. Those innocent people being rounded up and put into police trucks. The councilman grabbing her and arresting them, simply because of being Hiroshi’s daughter, and wearing some piece of Equalist gear. The crazy car chase to stop said Equalists from hurting people. That moment of seeing Korra and Mako in the back of the car…

 _Mako. And Korra for that matter_ , she thought to herself.

She felt her lips pull into an involuntary frown as her feelings of resentment and hurt rushed to the forefront of her mind. She gritted her teeth as she struggled not to suddenly lash out at the young woman sitting across the room from her.

Part of her wanted to scream, shout, cry, hide, or smash something. Another part wanted to do all five at the same time. It simply wasn’t fair. Why? Why had Mako suddenly decided that he wanted to be with Korra? Was there something wrong with her? Was it because of her dad? Was it because she had been so vicious with Korra?

She felt a pang of guilt at that. Looking back, it must have been extremely difficult for Korra to decide to pursue the issue as hard as she did. She’d heard what Mako said to her and she knew that she hadn’t been particularly pleasant towards the young avatar either. But if anything, that made the whole issue even more confusing. How had she captured the fire benders attention so completely? And why had Korra been so willing to forgive after everything that had been said?

The whole thing made her question if she had really even had a chance against the Water-tribe girl. Though she hated to admit it to herself, Korra was fairly good looking. And being a powerful bender didn’t hurt either. Neither did not being associated with a criminal. Part of her wondered if, perhaps, Mako had ever actually loved her.

She knew that it didn’t make a tremendous amount of sense. After all, they hadn’t exactly been an “item” for all that long, and much of their time had been spent either working or chasing criminals. And they certainly had never agreed to be exclusive. But nonetheless, the loss still stung; the way that only losing to a perceived rival could sting.

Huffing, she closed her eyes and let the back of her head hit the wall behind her. One thing was for certain, her life was a mess and it was going to take a long time before she’d finally feel back in control of it. She tried to relax and let go of the worry and the anxiety that swirled around in her mind. All she could to was take one thing at a time, each day at a time. Talking would help, Asami knew, but she didn’t think that she was in the right state of mind to have a civil conversation about any of it, so she elected to hold her tongue, and bring it up later.

“…sami. Hey, you awake?” she heard Korra’s voice. Her eyes fluttered open and saw Korra standing next to her bed. She had already partially undressed and had both of their towels in her hands. “The boys are out so…”

“Yeah, I’m up,” she said as she reached out to take one of the proffered towels. “Sorry, just really tired is all.”

The Avatar smiled in sympathy. “I get it. I feel like I’m going to fall asleep standing up. Let’s hurry up and get cleaned off. The sooner we do that the sooner we can sleep.”

Asami nodded and followed her to the bathing room. The next several minutes passed by in a blur. Through a mutual, unspoken agreement, they avoided looking at each other too closely as they stripped down began showering. Though neither of them were prudes, each wanted to save the other from any potential embarrassment.

Asami’s skin stung as the water washed over it, dozens of little cuts making themselves known as she scrubbed herself down with soap. Flashbacks of her fathers mech smashing down on top of her, the glass raining down and cutting her face, being jostled violently as he threw her around, surged through her mind and suddenly she was shaking. Her heart raced, as though her body was reliving everything that had happened.

 _“I CAN SEE THAT THERE IS NO SAVING YOU!”_ she heard his voice thunder in her mind. She let out a strangled squeak as breath caught in her throat, making her hiccupp. A spike of pain stabbed through her chest as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her. Her hands turned to fists as her nails dug into her palm, almost to the point of drawing blood. She drew in a shaky breath through her nose as she tried to calm herself.

She stood there for a few moments, fighting to get herself under control, thoroughly unwilling to have a mental breakdown in the middle of taking a shower. Once her breathing returned to normal, she quickly finished washing up and made a swift exit, hoping to head to bed and start putting this terrible ordeal one day further away. After she dried off, she opened the doors to the small wardrobe and withdrew some of her spare clothes from within.

_Pema must have retrieved them from the stuff I left here. Thank goodness I came with so much stuff._

She dressed quietly before climbing into the bed, pulling the covers over her shoulder as she rolled over onto her side, away from the door. Korra returned a few minutes later and followed suit, shutting the door and drawing shutters closed over the window. Before long the sound of her rhythmic, controlled breathing turned into soft snores. It seemed that, despite everything that had happened, it wasn’t enough to keep the young Avatar from falling asleep. Asami closed her eyes and tried to relax, willing the roiling tide of her thoughts to calm long enough for her to fall asleep, but to no avail. She tossed and turned as her mind remained unsettled, no matter how hard she tried to think of anything else. It was as though everything good in her life had no been tainted, leaving nothing left.

She started to cry, softly at first, as she tried to hold herself together, fearful of waking up Korra. But she rapidly lost the strength to hold back and soon her eyes were pouring out into the rough, feathery embrace of the pillow. She curled up into a ball, laying on her knees and elbows as her entire body shook as she began rocking back and forth. Every part of her seemed to hurt all at once, and it seemed as though it would never stop. Her voice devolved into one, long, endless croak as her nose ran and the pillow became increasingly wet.

Then suddenly, the bed dipped under some unknown weight and she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her. She raised her head to see who it was, and through her blurry, tear-filled vision, saw the stark white and gentle blue of Korra’s night wear. Asami coughed and tried to speak but Korra squeezed her harder and shook her head.

“It okay. I know I’m probably the last person you want to see right now. But I want you to know that you’re not alone. We’re here for you. I promise.”

Asami looked at her in feint disbelief before her tears returned and she began to cry again. She buried her face back into the pillow as she wailed, all the while Korra simply sat there, holding her. She had no idea how long she sat there, all she knew is that at some point, her sobs petered off and the welcome embrace of unconsciousness swept in to welcome her as Korra covered her up and returned to her own bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very interested to hear how people feel about this chapter and about this story in general. Please leave comments, it's really important to get feedback. Like, really important.


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